Disciplinary Reports Research Articles

Prospectively predicting violent and aggressive incidents in prison practice with the Risk Screener Violence (RS-V): Results from a multisite prison study.

Preventing in-prison violence and maintaining a safe environment is an important goal within prison settings. Screening for violence risk may provide a valuable addition to reach this goal. Within the Dutch prison system, the Risk Screener Violence (RS-V) has become an important new element in overall risk management. Prior research shows that RS-V scores are a sound predictor of institutional violence and aggression of incarcerated persons. Whereas previous studies predominantly analyzed retrospective file-based data, the present study includes RS-Vs rated by prison employees in real-life prison practice shortly after implementation. The RS-Vs of 956 detained individuals from 25 Dutch prisons were analyzed. Disciplinary reports were consulted to measure violent and aggressive incidents during 4 months after the screening. In addition, detention duration (length of stay in prison before the screening) was included as an additional variable. Results of the present prison practice study show good predictive values of the RS-V ratings for violent and aggressive incidents during prison stay. The predictive validity was similar for prisoner-to-prisoner assault as well as prisoner-to-staff assault. In addition, the predictive validity of the RS-V scores did not differ between individuals with a longer detention duration versus individuals with a shorter detention duration. This multisite prison practice study is an important step in the further validation of the RS-V and shows that the RS-V is a valuable tool in determining who is more likely to show institutional violence. Nonetheless, it remains important to continually monitor the implementation and correct application of the RS-V in prison practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Risk Screener Violence (RS-V): retrospective prediction of violent and aggressive incidents within the prison setting.

Physical and verbal violence toward staff or other detained individuals is a reoccurring problem within correctional facilities. Screening for violence risk within the prison setting could provide a valuable first step in the prevention of institutional violence. The brief and compact Risk Screener Violence (RS-V) has shown to be an efficient new method for assessing concerns regarding post-release violent offending for incarcerated persons. This study aimed to find out whether the RS-V is also able to predict future violent and aggressive incidents during imprisonment. The predictive validity of the RS-V for future violent and aggressive incidents during a follow-up time of 4 months within prison was analyzed, using a file-based design. Violent incidents toward staff and other inmates (physical violence and violent threats), other aggressive incidents (aggression toward objects and verbal disruptive behavior), and both categories combined, were included as outcome measures based on disciplinary reports. The RS-V showed medium to large predictive values for both violent and aggressive behavior during prison stay. In particular, good predictive values of the RS-V were found for violence toward prison staff. This study shows that, besides post-release violent recidivism, the RS-V is able to accurately predict future violent and aggressive incidents during prison stay. By correctly differentiating between low concern and high concern individuals, the RS-V aims to contribute to more personalized interventions and risk management and, subsequently, to improved prison safety. Future studies using prospective prison practice data are needed to further support the validity of the RS-V regarding institutional violence.

MMPI-2-RF Differences Between Violent Offending and Institutional Violence Among Incarcerated Women.

The examination of violence perpetrated by female offenders remains an understudied topic, as research typically focuses on male offender samples. As such, it remains unclear what personality characteristics may be associated with the perpetration of violence among female offenders. This study sought to examine the relationship between personality characteristics, as assessed by the MMPI-2-RF, and engagement in violence, within a sample of 228 incarcerated women. Results indicated that women serving time for a violent offense obtained higher mean scores on MMPI-2-RF scales related to underreporting, atypical thoughts/experiences, and paranoia. Women who obtained disciplinary reports for violence within the institution obtained higher mean scores on MMPI-2-RF scales related to behavior/externalizing dysfunction, overactivation, and aggression. Taken together, violence was most strongly associated with the MMPI-2-RF scales related to paranoia and atypical thoughts/experiences (e.g., THD, PSYC-r). This study provides new data on the viability of the MMPI-2-RF to provide critical insights into violent and aggression behavior in female inmates, an understudied population and demonstrate the instrument's efficacy in assessing characteristics associated with violent behavior.

The Role of School Management Committees and Head teacher’s Effectiveness in Government-Aided Primary Schools in Luweero District – Uganda

Purpose: The study focused on the role of School Management Committees (SMCs) and headteacher effectiveness in government-aided primary schools in Luweero district, Uganda. The objectives of the study were (i) To establish whether School Management Committees (SMCs) monitored headteachers’ performance in the management of school academic programmes. (ii)To examine whether School Management Committees (SMCs) effectively monitored how headteachers utilized school funds. (iii) To assess whether School Management Committees (SMCs) monitored how headteachers managed discipline in their schools.
 Methodology: The study employed a cross-sectional study design using both quantitative and qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis. A sample of 160 respondents comprising of head teachers and School Management Committee (SMC) members was selected using purposive and cluster sampling techniques. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) guides.
 Findings: The findings under the first objective revealed that SMC members did not effectively monitor head teachers’ management of academic programmes as all the responses scored below average(below 50%). As such the head teachers did not commit much of their time in ensuring that school academic programmes were effectively managed. Findings under the second objective revealed that SMCs’ performance in monitoring head teacher’s utilization of school funds was above average in regard to the preparation of work plans, approval of budgets and cash withdrawals while a dismal performance was reported in the approval of school expenditures and monitoring of accountability of funds. Under the third objective, the findings revealed that the SMCs performed above average in working collaboratively with the head teachers in attending to disciplinary reports, sanctioning errant teachers /pupils and disseminating measures of managing discipline to stakeholders while the performance was below average in the area of formulating school rules and regulations. The dismal performance of SMCs in some areas was attributed to capacity gaps, low motivation and conflicts within the school community.
 Recommendations: The study recommended that the district local government needed to organize workshops and seminars to equip SMC members with the requisite skills and knowledge in school monitoring and sensitizing them about their roles and responsibilities. It was also recommended that a minimum level of education and one’s integrity and contribution to community welfare be tagged to selection of SMC members.

Having one’s complaint heard: Implicit knowledge in prison disciplinary reports

The competence of correctional officers is judged based on their capacity to maintain order within a particular sector of a prison. In rare instances, however, an officer may decide to refer a problematic situation to a disciplinary committee. Pragmatic sociology suggests that such referrals should be viewed as complaints whose validity can be decided only if the implicit knowledge they rely on is understood. Our discursive analysis of one year of disciplinary reports from a Quebec prison allows us to identify the orders of worth and interpretations used in complaints by correctional officers. This exploration of the form and content of disciplinary reports suggests that such documents play an important role as mediators between different levels of prison authority.

Generational Type and Employee Theft: A Case Study of Kopala Mine, Zambia

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of Generational Type on Employee Theft at Kopala Mine, Zambia. Method: The data set in this study is derived from the Kopala Mine Reports for 2020: HR Admin Report, Disciplinary Report on Theft and other related offences. Frequency Tables and Cross tabulations were used to summarize the findings. Findings: The study found that 56.8% of Millennials and 40.5% of Generation Xers employees were engaged in theft and other related offences. The practical research significance is that Generational Type influences Employee Theft in the organization. Conclusion: Based on the findings above, the study concludes that Generational Type and the lifestyle employees lead and influence employee theft in workplace organizations. The study further suggests that the need for extra money to meet social needs (lifestyle) is the main reason some employees engage in employee theft.

Four Unruly Women: Stories of Incarceration and Resistance from Canada's Most Notorious Prison by Ted McCoy

Reviewed by: Four Unruly Women: Stories of Incarceration and Resistance from Canada's Most Notorious Prison by Ted McCoy Nathalie Rech Ted McCoy, Four Unruly Women: Stories of Incarceration and Resistance from Canada's Most Notorious Prison (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press 2019) Ted McCoy's Four Unruly Women sheds light on some of the darkest moments of Kingston Penitentiary through the stories of four women incarcerated during the 19th and 20th centuries. Adopting a critical legal studies approach and a feminist framework, he invites us to look at the prison in a broader social context in order to understand how patriarchy shaped both Canadian law and penology in response to crime, gender, and marginality. McCoy draws a gloomy picture of the everyday life at the penitentiary for the inmate population over the period from 1835 to 1935, using penitentiary records as his main source. The originality of his work stems from disciplinary reports produced by the administration on inmate infractions and the punishments inflicted to unruly prisoners, a source that contrasts with the dryness of usual penitentiary records and offers insight into human relationships inside. Bridget Donnelly, Charlotte Reveille, Kate Slattery, and Emily Boyle (pseudonym) are the four women McCoy chose to support his story. As the author warns us, these might be exceptional cases, but they illustrate what every woman incarcerated at Kingston could potentially face during their incarceration: corporal punishment, physical restraint, solitary confinement, a bread and water diet, and sexual violence. McCoy's biographical approach to these four lives also informs us about the development of the Canadian penitentiary system in relation to the development of industrial capitalism, and the elitist anxiety towards the workingclass. McCoy's book shows the extent to which patriarchy and paternalism were central to Canadian society and to the microcosm of the prison. McCoy's effort to draw the portrait of the central figure of the matron is another of his original contributions to the understanding of women's carceral environments. He shows unambiguously that far from embodying the maternal and caring ideal presented by reformers and penologists alike, she rarely protected women from prison abuses, including sexual abuses from male staff or other forms of torture. The matron was the women prisoners' [End Page 198] favourite target for insults and a plethora of other ruses, not only because she worked the closest with them but also because she was resented for her authority, being the one, more often than not, who denounced their misbehaviours and called for punishment. McCoy's most interesting contribution is undoubtedly the four biographies he presents in four successive chapters. At the centre of his storytelling lies their resistance and the acknowledgement they are, as Jackie Wang wrote, "subjects worthy of having a story of their own." Bridget Donnelly's entire adult life in and out prison exemplifies how poverty and incarceration were deeply intertwined, especially for immigrants to Canada during the 19th century. Her repeated stays at Kingston (and in local jails) for a variety of petty crimes mirror her continuing efforts to survive in times of dire needs. With Charlotte Reveille's story, McCoy explores issues of physical and mental health in confinement and how the carceral institution contributed to making individuals more vulnerable. In this chapter, McCoy exposes the complex figure of the prison surgeon and gives a glimpse on the medical experimentations to which prisoners were subject. McCoy highlights 19th-century debates in the medical field, especially when it came to "insanity" and shows how unscrupulous scientists used the penitentiary as a playing field in their dealings with individuals remote from public view and compassion. Kate Slattery, an Irish immigrant like Donnelly and the third "incorrigible" character presented in the book, is another example of a petty criminal. Her repetitive disruptive behaviours at Kingston—shouting, insulting, and attacking other prisoners—were met with inhumane treatment, justified by the labels that prison officials imposed on her. Incarcerated at the end of the 19th century when recidivism became associated with a "criminological type" and coupled with the penitentiary abandoning the possibility of reformation, she was deemed incorrigible. Moreover, when her confinement ended, she was deported to Ireland at the...

Bonding through books behind bars: Reconnecting incarcerated mothers/grandmothers with children

Bonding through books is a piloted project that sought to engage incarcerated mothers/grandmothers through furthering their literacy skills to promote prosocial relationships with their children/grandchildren. Literacy measurements often consider fourth-grade literacy as the measure for future achievement. Approximately 68% of children in the U.S. do not meet this standard with most youth coming from rural, low-income or at-risk homes—an almost exact match for incarcerated mothers and children in Kansas. We sought to help reduce prison disciplinary issues, ease the reintegration process, and increase success upon release. This was accomplished through both live (on-site) and recorded read aloud sessions and measured through pre/post-test data analysis and the review of disciplinary reports. Pre and post-test surveys included the Rhody Secondary Reading Attitude Assessment, Parenting Sense of Competency Scale, and National Assessment of Adult Literacy. At the culmination of the project, the mothers/grandmothers would be assisted with recording themselves reading a children’s book to be sent home to their children/grandchildren. Due to unforeseen travel restrictions, post-test data is not available and all reported data is based on pre-test data. Most participants were already interested in reading and felt competent parenting behind bars.

Indexing Character in the Context of Sport Participation Within the United States Military Academy: The Character in Sport Index

Organized sports are an important context for promoting character, and the particular values emphasized illuminate how a setting develops or reveals character. The Character in Sport Index (CSI), an observer rating scale of sportsmanship in cadets within the United States Military Academy (USMA; 2 samples, n = 1,926 and 1,798) engaged in intramural sports, measured setting-specific character virtues relevant to USMA. Using 12 items, two factors emerged: positive behaviors (e.g., resilience) and negative behaviors (e.g., argumentativeness). The positive behavior factor was related to grit, self-regulation, academic and military achievement, and an instructor-completed character rating scale. The negative behavior factor related to manipulative traits and number of disciplinary reports. Findings are discussed in regard to sportsmanship and character development within USMA and in other college settings.

The rolling hotspot? Perceptions of behavioral problems on school buses among a nationally representative sample of transportation officials

ABSTRACTThis study presents results from a nationally representative survey of school district transportation officials (N = 2,595) to understand how common seven types of behavioral problems (fighting, bullying, substance use, sexual harassment, sexual behaviors, profanity, violations of basic rules) are perceived to be on school buses. Ordinary least-squares regression is used to examine respondent- and district-level predictors of behavioral problems. Results indicate that violations of basic rules (e.g., moving seats), profanity, and bullying are perceived to be the most common problems on the nation’s buses. Several respondent (e.g., sex, race, title) and district characteristics (e.g., percentage of special education students) are statistically associated with perceptions of misconduct, number of disciplinary reports filed in the previous school year, or the frequency with which reports were filed. Implications of findings are discussed.

An Examination of Triarchic Psychopathy Constructs in Female Offenders

This study sought to expand scientific knowledge on psychopathic personality traits in female offenders by evaluating the relationship between MMPI–2–RF triarchic scales and self-reported external variables in a sample of 205 female offenders. Results indicated that boldness was inversely related to internalizing dysfunction, including suicidal behavior, psychosis, youth conduct problems, problems stemming from alcohol use, and a history of outpatient mental health treatment. Meanness was positively related to internalizing dysfunction as well as youth conduct problems, anger, prison disciplinary reports, and psychosis. Disinhibition was associated with a history of abuse in childhood, suicidal behavior, internalizing dysfunction, problems associated with alcohol and drug use, family history of mental illness, prison disciplinary reports for violence, number of previous criminal charges, and anger. Consistent with views of psychopathy as a configural condition, interactive effects of boldness with disinhibition and meanness were observed for multiple key external variables (e.g., conduct problems, substance use, nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior). This study provides further evidence for the triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy in female offenders and lends additional support for the validity of MMPI–2–RF triarchic psychopathy scales.

Will I lose my license for that? A closer look at Canadian disciplinary hearings and what it means for pharmacists' practice to full scope.

Concerns about liability from clinical errors have been cited as a barrier preventing greater adoption of practice change. Our objective was to determine the most common actions or omissions that result in disciplinary action for pharmacists and the restrictive actions imposed. Canadian disciplinary reports were reviewed. Cases were coded as charges of professional misconduct, unskilled practice or dishonest business practices. There were 558 disciplinary cases from 10 provinces that occurred between January 2010 and July 2017. Professional misconduct charges commonly involved stealing/diverting or inappropriately dispensing narcotic drugs, pharmacy supervision/premises charges and refusing to cooperate with the college. Charges of unskilled practice included dispensing the wrong drug, failing to assess the appropriateness of a drug order, providing the wrong dose and failing to counsel. Fraudulent billing practices and accepting rebates from generic drug companies were the most common dishonest business practices. Professional misconduct, unskilled practice and dishonest business practice charges were involved in 342 (61%), 169 (30%) and 191 (34%) cases, respectively. Most cases occurred in community pharmacies and were not caused by an isolated clinical error. Fines were the most common penalty, followed by temporary license suspensions, professional development and reprimands. License revocations were the least common (4%), often involving professional misconduct. This review suggests that disciplinary action against a pharmacist for an isolated, unintentional clinical error is uncommon and that losing a license is rare. Fear of disciplinary action should not be a barrier to practice change or the provision of full-scope patient care services.

Official incidents of inmate-on-inmate misconduct at a women’s prison: using importation and deprivation theories to compare perpetrators to victims

Importation and deprivation theories have long been used to explain prison misconduct and victimization among male inmates. However, the key variables from these theories have rarely been tested on female inmates. In addition, many of these existing studies use combined samples of males and females, while ignoring female-only samples of prisoners. Using data from official misconduct reports collected from 2007 to 2012 from a large women’s prison in Ohio, the current study sought to compare the characteristics of perpetrators of inmate-on-inmate misconduct to their victims. Findings reveal that variables from both importation (age, race, and current violent offender status) and deprivation (mental health status and prior violent disciplinary reports) theories were significant in predicting perpetrator vs. victim likelihood. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Whither Geography? A Response to Finlayson's Concerns

AbstractPrompted by Brian Finlayson's editorial, titled ‘Whither (or Wither?) Geography’, I am reminded that a review of the discipline's status and directions would be timely, using the 2002 Australia‐wide reviews in this journal as benchmarks. I welcome the thoughtful proposal for a disciplinary report to the Academy of Science recently prepared by Alaric Maude on behalf of the National Committee for Geography. I take the view that the three central issues are: firstly, flux in the discipline's ‘external relations’ in an era of interdisciplinarity, cross‐disciplinary mergers, instrumentalism, and budgetary constraints; secondly, flux in ‘internal relations’ involving subdisciplines and subcultures: and thirdly, flux in ‘vertical relations’ involving the links between secondary and tertiary Geography. It is instructive to note that the earliest disciplinary reviews, up to the 1980s, were solely directed towards bibliographic celebrations of research directions whereas recent reviews, of necessity, have been focussed on pressing issues concerning ‘Whither Geography?’. Alaric's proposal will also be issue focussed, with its emphasis on relevance and on contributions of national significance.

Estudio de casos y propuestas jurídicas para el ejercicio de la potestad sancionadora en los centros educativos

Existen múltiples investigaciones relacionadas con la violencia escolar, la mayoría tratando aspectos psicosociales y educativos. Sin embargo, faltan trabajos que aborden los aspectos administrativos y legales. Este artículo forma parte de una investigación más extensa, que comienza con una revisión del marco legislativo, y en la cual se comprobaron los aspectos que merecen mayor atención y las posibles causas del incumplimiento de las normas. El análisis documental de partes disciplinarios y expedientes sancionadores ponen de manifiesto la existencia de múltiples errores en la tramitación. Cuando los centros educativos tienen que adoptar medidas sancionadoras, es importante que el procedimiento no quede invalidado o pueda ser denunciado en los tribunales de justicia. Un cuestionario aplicado a los profesores, reveló que se sienten poco preparados para desempeñar esta función. A partir de los resultados obtenidos, se sugiere abordar la necesaria adaptación de la documentación elaborada en función de su autonomía, con la participación de todos los sectores de la comunidad educativa, y concretar aquellos aspectos que hagan del centro un lugar de convivencia, optimizando recursos en el marco de la legislación. Finalmente, se ofrecen conclusiones relacionadas con la necesidad de facilitar a los centros protocolos de actuación, y abordar procesos específicos de formación del profesorado.

A Pilot Test of the CM-GAF among Offenders with Mental Disorders

A pilot test of clinician-rated validity of scores on a Correction Modified-Global Assessment of Functioning (CM-GAF) scale was performed by assessing a random sample of 60 adult male and female offenders at two correctional facilities. Pairs of trained clinicians assessed the offenders with the CM-GAF and GAF instruments. Regression analyses were conducted. Variables included in the analysis were demographic characteristics (age, gender, and race), criminal history (number of incarcerations, violent/non-violent offense, year of current incarceration), number of disciplinary reports (tickets), and Connecticut Department of Corrections (CDOC) risk scores. The model for the CM-GAF yielded one significant predictor variable, Presence of Pending Charges Risk Score (B = −7.25, p = .003), predicting 44.4% of the variance. This finding suggests that higher functioning offenders tend not to have pending charges, which may be a proxy for length of incarceration. Newly admitted offenders are more likely to have pending charges and more likely to exhibit disruptive and disorganized behaviors. Management of mentally ill persons who are incarcerated is facilitated when inter-professional frontline staff can communicate using a common language. Frequent assessment with an instrument that is understandable across disciplines has the potential to improve care, and as few standardized mental health instruments are modified and tested for use in the prison environment. Additional studies, refining scoring across subsamples by age, race, gender, diagnosis, and levels of security, are still needed.

Procedural Justice, Anger, and Prisoners’ Misconduct

Procedural justice literature suggests that when criminal justice authorities treat people with fairness and respect, people will be more likely to comply with authority’s decisions and rules. Up until now, prior research has largely neglected the correctional context and often used cross-sectional designs. The aims of this study were to examine (a) the longitudinal relationship between prisoners’ procedural justice perceptions and their misconduct, and (b) the mediating role of anger in this relationship. Using two waves of survey data (T1 and T2) and disciplinary reports from a sample of 806 Dutch prisoners, structural equation models were employed to investigate associations. The results show that prisoners who felt treated in a procedurally just manner in the correctional facility at T1 were less likely to report engaging in misconduct at T2. They were also less likely to have received a disciplinary report at T2. Anger fully mediated the effect of procedural justice on prisoners’ misconduct.

An Exploratory Examination of a Prison Disciplinary Process: Assessing Staff and Prisoner’ Perceptions of Fairness

There has been scant research on how prison disciplinary processes work in comparison to the myriad of studies on individual, situational, and prison-level factors associated with prison misbehavior. This exploratory research delved into staff and prisoners’ perceptions of a prison system’s disciplinary process. Using in-depth interviews with 25 staff and 25 prisoners as well as direct observation of classification and disciplinary hearings, this research primarily focused on perceptions of fairness. It uncovered those features of the disciplinary process that prisoners and some staff assessed as problematic and unfair. These included: the nature, consistency, and investigation of disciplinary reports, the use of confidential informants, the staffing of disciplinary boards, the use of segregation time for non-serious offenses, and the long-term segregation of some offenders. Ideas for future research were explored and prison administrators were encouraged to focus on fairness as a key component to containing prison violence and serious misbehavior.

Miller Resentencing Project Report

In June of 2012, United States Supreme Court issued two cases, Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs, which prohibited imposition of mandatory sentences of life without parole on juvenile offenders convicted of homicide offenses. As part of its holding, Court stressed that life without parole sentences are to be reserved for the rare juvenile offender whose crime reflects corruption. This language leaves open question, just how rare is it for a Miller inmate’s crime to be a reflection of corruption?This report is focused exclusively on Miller inmates, which we have defined as juvenile offenders serving mandatory sentences of life without parole for homicide offenses, in State of Florida. The report begins by painting a picture of who Florida’s Miller inmates are — where they were convicted, what age they were at time of offense, their race, and their gender. Then, report goes on to examine their disciplinary history in Department of Corrections for evidence of how amenable they are to rehabilitation. The data from Department of Corrections reveals that average number of disciplinary reports received by Miller inmates after 10 or more years of incarceration is 16.48. However, this average is inflated by a handful of Miller inmates at upper end of spectrum. A more careful analysis reveals that majority of Miller inmates had less than 15 disciplinary reports after 10 years of incarceration. Additionally, self-report data that we received from Miller inmates shows that inmates are most likely to receive disciplinary reports within first 5 years of being admitted to Department of Corrections, with only a fifth of inmates who had been admitted for more than 10 years reporting a disciplinary report within past year. The inmates also most often reported receiving disciplinary reports for some form of disobedience.In sum, report finds that most Miller inmates receive a handful of disciplinary reports within first few years of incarceration, mostly for some form of disobedience, and then receive fewer and fewer reports as they grow and mature. We hope that this data will prove useful for those litigators and members of judiciary attempting to distinguish a typical pattern of institutional adjustment from irreparable corruption that Supreme Court spoke of.

Enforcing Institutional Regulations in Prison Settings

Although gambling is permitted in free society, it is prohibited in all detention facilities under the jurisdiction of the Province of Quebec. In this article, the authors focus on correctional officers’ opinions concerning this regulation, as well as their reasons for choosing whether or not to enforce it. The absence of disciplinary reports issued in this regard confirms that coercion is rarely, if ever, used to counter this activity. When interventions do occur, they are aimed less at the act of betting than at the associated undesirable behaviors, such as disturbing the peace in the cellblock. Many of the guards interviewed see gambling as a positive leisure activity, in the sense that it generates negative impacts only occasionally. It even makes their work easier because pleasure eases tensions and helps maintain tranquility in the block. Since this activity does not usually jeopardize the safety of the correctional population or the prison staff, it is often used as a conciliation tool, which is evidence of the guards’ discretionary power.